Chapter 531: Immortal

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Daomaguan, this year, experienced an exceptionally bitter spring chill. While it didn't reach the exaggerated point of freezing youths to death, some elderly and solitary villagers living near the pass, who had barely survived the harsh winter, ultimately succumbed to this late spring cold, which the common folk called the 'Gates of Hell.' Such quiet deaths caused no stir; after all, if one didn't die amidst chaos and war, but simply passed away peacefully in their own bed at home, who would bother? Only a few retired soldiers had their funeral arrangements cursorily handled by the government, considered a decent end to life – a monumental fortune compared to those in Liyang.

Two riders arrived at Daomaguan. Before passing through, they paused to rest. Capitalizing on the lingering festivities of the Lantern Festival, the market inside the pass was quite lively. Children were engrossed in tricks like watching crows play chess. Dust-covered Xu Fengnian chewed on a large flatbread as he led his horse. His sharp eyes spotted a familiar chubby boy among the children. He walked over and gently kicked the boy's backside. The child, utterly absorbed, instinctively swatted away the irritant without turning his head. On the third attempt, the chubby boy spun around furiously, ready to unleash a stream of curses. He paused, however, upon seeing a handsome young man leading a horse and wearing a saber. After a moment, he finally recognized the chivalrous person who had once given him a meat bun. He quickly stood up and, unfamiliar with the proper etiquette taught by his tutor, made an awkward bow. Xu Fengnian smiled and asked, "Where's Yousong? Isn't he playing with you all?"

The chubby boy looked around and chuckled, "He was here just now. Songzi came to the market with his mother to buy some scraps of satin. She must have dragged him away by the ear by now. Young Master, should I call Songzi for you?"

Xu Fengnian shook his head. "No need. I have to leave the pass immediately. Just tell Yousong when you see him later."

Xu Fengnian then noticed the boy swallowing, his eyes fixed on the half-eaten flatbread in his hand. Xu Fengnian smiled, "If you don't mind that I've taken a bite, you can have it."

The chubby boy smiled shyly, shaking his head vigorously, but his peripheral vision caught sight of the two sabers of different lengths at the young master's waist, making him even more envious. Xu Fengnian handed the boy the flatbread. The latter, munching on the bread, mumbled indistinctly, "Young Master, my dad says it's very hard to leave the pass now. It seems there are many, many soldiers at the Great Gourd Mouth outside Daomaguan. Not many people have entered the pass around the New Year."

Xu Fengnian smiled faintly. "I have some connections with the officials at the gate, so I'm not worried."

The chubby boy giggled ingenuously, "I knew it! Young Master, you must be a very important person. Songzi often talks about you in the private school, and others don't believe him, but I always helped Songzi and agreed that you're a great knight-errant roaming the Jianghu."

Xu Fengnian ruffled the chubby boy's head and turned to leave. Behind him, the chubby boy immediately started bragging to his playmates about how familiar he was with the young master who had a horse and a saber. Most of the children who had previously studied with him and Zhao Yousong didn't believe him, but now that they had personally witnessed the chubby boy receiving half a flatbread as a reward, this friendship couldn't be faked. The chubby boy's "Jianghu status" instantly soared several levels.

For nearly twenty years, the military reviews and parades of the Beiliang Border Army had consistently followed the old rules of a small review every year and a grand review every three years. However, last year's grand review was inexplicably postponed until this year, scheduled for the unprecedented spring season. Breaking two rules consecutively, coupled with the exceptionally large scale of this parade, made many border generals and soldiers sense an unusual atmosphere. Daomaguan, a small border pass, might have been a small temple, but it housed many "Bodhisattvas." Lieutenant Zhou Xian of the Mobile Division and Han Tao, a Captain of the Guard with honorary rank, were a pair of sworn rivals who needed careful handling if one wished to smoothly enter or exit the pass, especially with valuable goods. At this moment, Zhou Xian and Han Tao, the local power brokers of Daomaguan, stood respectfully atop the wall, not daring to breathe. Forget two newly-ranked local snakes; even a dragon would have dutifully coiled and laid low because beside them stood two "Great Bodhisattvas" who could genuinely decide one's life or death with a single word: Shi Qiangao, Deputy General of Youzhou, and Li Guiweng, Assistant Administrator of Youzhou, both high-ranking officials of the third rank. Han Tao and Zhou Xian, these old adversaries, had no mind for tripping each other up at this moment. They could only hold their noses and cooperate, contemplating how to get through this mission. They lacked the capital to know the inside story, having only received news that an important personage would be exiting Daomaguan.

Zhou Ziru, son of the Lieutenant of the Mobile Division, also had border army status, allowing him to wait on the wall, albeit far from the two powerful Youzhou officials. This border general's progeny, who had once nearly brought about the collapse of the Fish Dragon Gang, cautiously glanced at Shi Qiangao's gleaming armor and Li Guiweng's official robe with its embroidered peacock insignia, his gaze a mixture of awe and fervent ambition. Shi Qiangao was an old general from the Spring and Autumn era, still robust in his old age. He had originally been the most likely candidate to be promoted to Youzhou General this time, but Huangfu Cheng, then only a Fruitful Valiant Commander, had stolen a march on him. This was largely why everyone at Daomaguan, from top to bottom, was so apprehensive, fearing that the fiery-tempered Shi Qiangao might take them as a punching bag. Li Guiweng, on the other hand, was as amiable to everyone as rumored. When ascending the city wall, he deliberately walked behind Shi Qiangao, taking a moment to exchange warm pleasantries with Zhou Xian and his son Zhou Ziru. For some reason, Zhou Ziru keenly noticed that despite their differing personalities, both General Shi and Assistant Administrator Li seemed somewhat nervous. For this grand Beiliang review at Hulu Kou, Beiliang Protector-General Chu Lushan was already present. Yan Wenluan, Commander of the Infantry, and Yuan Zuozong, Commander of the Cavalry, had already arrived outside the pass. Gu Dazu, a new Beiliang dignitary, along with the Liangzhou General and two deputies who were not part of the regular border army, had also hastened north around the third and fourth days of the first lunar month. Even Li Gongde, the Beiliang Commissioner, was no exception. Practically all the major figures of Beiliang had arrived at Hulu Kou around the Lantern Festival. Zhou Ziru could not fathom who could make Shi and Li treat them with such caution. Although Huangfu Cheng, the Youzhou General whose foundations were not yet solid, outranked them by half a grade, he should not possess such authority. Naturally, Shi Qiangao and Li Guiweng at Daomaguan were waiting for the Young Master.

Xu Fengnian could have entered Daomaguan earlier, but he was stopped by an itinerant Taoist priest who stubbornly insisted on performing character divination, fortune-telling, and palmistry for him, vehemently vowing that if his predictions were inaccurate, he wouldn't just refuse payment but would even offer money in return. Xu Fengnian subtly glanced at Xu Yanbing, who, uncharacteristically, didn't immediately respond. Xu Fengnian found this rather intriguing; for Xu Yanbing to be unsure of the priest's depth, it meant either the scruffy Taoist genuinely had no internal power, or he was a master of disguise at the Celestial Phenomenon realm, or even a true Land Immortal. What a grand prize! Xu Fengnian smiled and sat down with the shifty-eyed old Taoist at a roadside stall. He playfully remarked straightforwardly, "Old master, with your appearance, it's quite difficult to convince people that you're an enlightened sage."

The old Taoist sighed, "Like my name, it's all given by my parents, what can I do? This humble Taoist is truly famished and freezing, which is why I'm forced to set up this dangerous fortune-telling business. Heavenly secrets must not be divulged, but if I don't earn money, I'll starve to death. This humble Taoist is trading life for life; it's a bitter fate no matter what."

Just as Xu Fengnian was about to speak, the Taoist, as if reading his mind, remarked, "Only by revealing a sliver of heavenly secret can the wheel keep turning. To this humble Taoist, that sliver is oneself. So, young master, don't ask why this humble Taoist can tell fortunes but can't foresee his own destiny."

Xu Fengnian chuckled, "Old master, leaving everything else aside, your ability to observe and interpret people is quite impressive."

The old Taoist, who called himself Sifang (Four Quarters), glared and said, "It's not observing and interpreting; it's clearly accurately divining the young master's thoughts. Heaven's timing, geographical advantage, and human harmony – I divine heaven, earth, and human hearts. This humble Taoist is unlike those immortals from the Taoist ancestral courts; I don't divine heaven and earth, only human hearts."

Xu Fengnian exclaimed in surprise, "Oh! Then I must seize this opportunity to earnestly seek wisdom from the old master. The Buddha cannot be spoken of, the Dao cannot be Dao-ed, so how can ordinary mortals achieve Buddhahood or attain the Dao?"

The old Taoist sat opposite Xu Fengnian across the stall, stroking his beard and smiling. "This humble Taoist will not speak of the nebulous, misty theories, but only of the principles I have gained from my own journey. How does that sound? Young Master, you are meticulous in small matters and magnanimous in great ones; I imagine you can calmly listen to what this humble Taoist has to say."

Xu Fengnian nodded. "Good."

He turned to Xu Yanbing and said, "Go buy a steamer of small steamed buns."

The old Taoist nodded with satisfaction, though it was unclear whether he was pleased by the thought of the filling buns or by the young master finally falling into his trap. When Xu Yanbing quietly turned away, the old Taoist straightened his robe and slowly began, "Cultivating the Dao is like climbing a mountain: ninety percent of a hundred-mile journey is the last ten miles, and it only gets harder the further you go. Longhu Mountain is singularly focused on reaching the summit, as if failing to produce an ascended immortal every sixty years would bring shame upon their ancestors. There's no right or wrong in that, but Wudang Mountain doesn't cultivate the Dao in such a way. I don't know when it started, but people cultivating the Dao now only fixate on 'immortality.' How is that any different from officials hoping for 'first-rank' status? Our cultivation of the Dao is like reading books, like young masters reading those novels about scholars and beauties. Ultimately, isn't it just about meeting and getting to know each other? The lucky ones fall in love and stay together from youth to old age; the unlucky ones hate each other and part ways. To put it more bluntly, it's just about the trivial matters from under the bed to on the bed. To speak on a grander scale, a person's life is even more miserable, encompassing nothing more than life and death. To think this way is truly too boring. Does the young master agree?"

Xu Fengnian smiled and nodded. "I deeply agree."

The old Taoist continued, "In this humble Taoist's view, the essence of a person's journey through this life is simply 'walking.' Walking over mountains, walking through water, walking through the Jianghu, walking north, south, east, and west. Where you arrive is not important; along the way, you encounter interesting people and uninteresting things, whether you endure hardship or enjoy blessings, it's all just this hundred-year journey of life. If you encounter beautiful scenery, you can certainly stop and take a good look. When you regain your strength, you can walk again. If you don't want to move your feet, then don't move! A gentle haven, a hero's tomb? Heh, those are just sour grapes from those who can't get them. Why else would they say 'only envy mandarin ducks, not immortals'? This humble Taoist has traveled far and wide for many years in this life. Those who seek immortality envy a day in the mountains being a thousand years in the world, but this humble Taoist prefers to walk steadily and stop frequently in the bustling mortal world. I'm not afraid of suddenly dying on the road one day. If one fears death for the sake of immortality, how can one attain true immortality? In this humble Taoist's life, I have visited over six hundred Taoist temples, large and small, and sought teachings on Buddhist doctrines from no fewer than three hundred monks in monasteries."

Seeing Xu Fengnian remain silent, the old Taoist coughed and shamelessly whispered, "Young Master, now would be a good time to agree, that would be reasonable."

Xu Fengnian laughed, "I was busy calculating how old the old master must be to have visited those six hundred Taoist temples and three hundred monasteries."

The old Taoist shook his head with a sigh. "This humble Taoist has long forgotten, I only remember marrying three women."

Xu Fengnian couldn't help but twitch his mouth. At that moment, Xu Yanbing returned with a steamer of buns and placed it on the stall. The old Taoist picked up a steaming bun, blew on it a few times vigorously, and swallowed it whole, his face filled with rapture. He wiped the grease from his mouth with his sleeve and chuckled, "Spring freezes bones, autumn freezes flesh. Even youths with vigorous qi and blood aren't immune to the spring chill; these days are particularly hard to bear."

Xu Fengnian smiled and asked, "Can old master divine whom I am going to meet?"

The old Taoist was about to reach for a second meat bun and nonchalantly replied, "The old woman who draws with ash."

Xu Yanbing's breath hitched.

The old Taoist remained unperturbed, softly chuckling, "When roaming the Jianghu, it's always good to have many skills. This humble Taoist knows a little about everything, and knowing this particular matter is merely due to my advanced age; it's not much of an ability."

Xu Fengnian calmly said, "I know who the old master is now. However, a true master does not reveal themselves, and one who reveals themselves is not a true master. Old master, it seems you are not following the rules. What, are you seeking revenge for your Northern Mang Empress, planning to take my head to repay the heads of Xu Huainan and Fifth Hoe?"

The old Taoist laughed, "Do you truly know who this humble Taoist is?"

Xu Fengnian frowned, "I'm genuinely confused. I heard that Li Dangxin of Liangchan Temple, while at Daode Sect, had already pulled down Floating Mountain and crushed the Kirin Immortal, who bore a sword."

The old Taoist burst into laughter, gently flicking his left shoulder. From his right hand, a graceful young Taoist, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, carrying a long sword on his back, seemed to "float out" and bowed to Xu Fengnian.

The old Taoist switched hands and flicked his fingers again. From his left side, another elderly Taoist, with an air of immortal dignity, holding a whisk, seemed to "drift out" and smiled, stroking his beard.

This Kirin Immortal had clearly been killed by Tuoba Pusa on the bank of the Yellow River after she crossed it.

The old master, who had remained seated on his stool, clapped his hands. In front of him, a child Taoist "ran out," the very child who had appeared beside Xu Huainan, the King of the Northern Court. The old Taoist, holding a bun in one hand, stroked the little Taoist boy's head. "Xu Fengnian, we have met for the second time now."

The scene was bizarre, yet passersby on the street were completely oblivious.

The old Taoist swallowed his bun, clapped his hands, and laughed, "The three Northern Mang National Preceptors were indeed slain by Li Dangxin, Tuoba Pusa, and Yijie Liu respectively, but their deaths were not truly deaths, a secret not meant for outsiders. 'Severing the three corpses and extracting the nine worms' — the saints spoke vaguely, and common folk are confused, as if lost in a fog, not knowing the true meaning. This humble Taoist, having traveled widely, secretly believes it refers to the affections, principles, and desires of past, present, and future lives. These three Kirin Immortals of the Daode Sect are me, and yet not me, though I am them beyond a doubt. They are very busy; this humble Taoist is very idle, so idle that I have traveled Northern Mang and Liyang for three sixty-year cycles, so idle that I have personally witnessed three women I married slowly transform from youthful maidens to old crones, so idle that I have even met the Fourth Generation Patriarch Lu."

Xu Fengnian seemed speechless. He simply reached for a bun to "calm his nerves," but unexpectedly, the young national preceptor, who was frolicking around his knees, slapped it away. A stinging pain shot through Xu Fengnian's hand. Startled, he quickly waved his hand, signaling Xu Yanbing, who was already radiating killing intent, to hold back.

The old Taoist tapped the head of the little Kirin Immortal, bent down, picked up the bun, and offered it to the Young Master. "To study is to watch the chase; what is gained from the book is lost in the chase. To seek the Dao is to face the green mountains; outside the Dao, there is nothing, but within the green mountains, there is something. This humble Taoist is known as the Taoist of Four Quarters, my true name is Yuan Qingshan. I have cultivated the Dao for three sixty-year cycles, and my ascension is imminent. Meeting you today, I indeed have one request."

Xu Fengnian reached out his left hand to take the bun, without the slightest tremor.

Yuan Qingshan said sternly, "This humble Taoist, an unrecorded disciple of the Daode Sect, asks the Young Master to return a copper coin."

Xu Fengnian held the bun, perfectly still.

The old Taoist smiled. "Your Highness, it's not too late to reply after you've tasted the bun."

After a moment of hesitation, Xu Fengnian also copied the old Taoist, swallowing the bun whole, and with a *snap*, slapped the copper coin onto the stall.

The old Taoist picked up the copper coin, flicked it with his finger, and the coin seemed to fly away thousands of miles into the distance. Standing up, the three Kirin National Preceptors all "merged" back into the body of the Taoist named Yuan. Before the scruffy old Taoist departed, he left four pieces of golden advice:

"Your Highness, visit Wudang Mountain often; it will only bring benefit, no harm.""Xu Longxiang was destined for death, but before this humble Taoist ascends, I will leave him a sliver of life, though it is merely a sliver.""Zhenwu was originally a celestial being, so why did he bother to come to the mortal world? Underestimating Wang Xianzhi, who will eventually rank among the immortals and not be inferior to Zhenwu, will lead to your death.""After Li Yufu expended all his merits, virtues, and blessings to help others ascend, he then cut off all the immortals fishing in the clouds, so no one in the world can ascend anymore. Mortals doing mortal affairs is truly wondrous. This humble Taoist Yuan Qingshan is far inferior to Li Yufu of Wudang!"